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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27101992">Desert Moon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/annasotropy/pseuds/annasotropy'>annasotropy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Slow Burn, gal pals doing science, minor zelink, mostly canon-compliant, the dune au literally nobody wanted, worm - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 04:36:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27101992</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/annasotropy/pseuds/annasotropy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelda has a scientific interest in the worms, that’s it. Riju is right--they’re out of place in the desert--the Gerudo have every right to be wary of their sudden appearance. And if surveying local fauna isn’t quite as thrilling or meaningful as battling the embodiment of darkness for a century, she’ll just take a deep breath and deal with it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Paya/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. negotiations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>You don't need to know Dune to understand this story. It's just me throwing a worm from one desert to another. I'm trying to fit a trendline of sorts between the sandworms/spice and the Hylia/triforce mythos, so everything will be explained in terms of how it affects the people of Hyrule.<br/>Why am I framing Zelink as compulsory heterosexuality? Look, I love the idea of a rekindled fate romance as much as the next gal. I just wanted to write lesbians.</p><p>Set a few months post-game. Please let me know if I make any disastrous errors--I'm not an expert on LoZ or Dune, and this isn't beta read. Much love &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Worms in the Gerudo Desert would not have been an issue had there been any reasonable way for them to survive.</p><p>Zelda wasn’t afraid of the worms themselves, of course. She loved playing with them when she was a child, running barefoot in the Castle gardens while her father was distracted. She was fascinated by the way they seem to move, all muscle, and their tendency to make an appearance after rain. They never want for water in Central Hyrule, nor in any of the other regions she had noticed worms in the past. In Kakariko and Lurelin, the worms are water-loving and enjoy the nutrient-rich soil the area’s farms or landscape provide. Here, the sand is coarse and dry, leaving barely enough energy to grow the occasional voltfruit or hydromelon anywhere beyond the oases.</p><p>“There’s a mystery in the Gerudo Desert,” she announces at dinner, taking slow bites to watch their reactions. The letter she’d received from Riju was short, contained few details, and was certainly sent to everyone capable of scientific inquiry, but tonight she describes the worms like they’re something beautiful and fearsome and lets the full truth slide. Link sighs quietly, nodding; no matter how tired he convinced he pretends to be, Zelda knows he still feels a duty to destroy any threat to Hyrule, no matter how dangerous or benign it may be. She sees a spark light in Paya’s eyes, even as the girl tries to hide her embarrassment with a close study of her meal. Impa’s gaze is the only one that catches on her own, and when Zelda has finished, she asks,</p><p>“What are you going to do about it, Princess?”</p><p>Zelda grins, to Link’s visible dismay. His eyes widen and eyebrows raise, so she rolls her eyes to focus on Paya instead. She’s made up her mind: “we’re going to solve it.” She can’t help but chuckle at Paya’s excited gasp and the light that fills the girl’s eyes. This trip would be an adventure indeed.</p><p>And if surveying local fauna isn’t quite as thrilling or meaningful as battling the embodiment of darkness for a century, she’ll just take a deep breath and deal with it.</p><p>They leave the next morning, driven by a sense of purpose Zelda hasn’t felt since fighting Ganon. The journey to Gerudo only takes a few days on horseback, and the stables along the way provide safety and shelter in the nights. Someone quicker than them gets wind of their journey and, when they arrive at Gerudo Canyon Stable, a messenger is already sitting by the fire inviting them to stay the night in the Village. Link looks interested, but Paya frowns, glancing at the sun setting overhead.</p><p>“That’s very kind of Chief Riju, but we’ve had a long day of travelling and really must rest,” Zelda says, tilting her head to look at the Gerudo woman before her. “We plan to get an early start tomorrow in hopes of avoiding the midday heat.”</p><p>The messenger smiles, moving her weight to one leg and putting her hand on her hip.</p><p>“Then I do hope you’ll accept Lady Riju’s invitation to visit tomorrow. She is quite interested in learning more about these creatures… and she is interested in seeing her friends.” She grins. Zelda smiles. Paya beams so wide she’s practically glowing.</p><p>Link communicates his hesitation, explaining his desire to return to some of the old Sheikah shrines he’d discovered. It’s fine: he’s a hero, he is busy, Lady Riju understands. There are a few pleasantries exchanged before they part ways, and Zelda finds Link already making arrangements with the stablemaster. They have three safe beds, and the food they’d collected on their journey; in many ways, it’s the most stability Zelda’s felt since Ganon first arose. So she lets herself drift from place to place, unrecognized by most, and worry about their horses or which delicious meal to cook rather than the fate of her people.</p><p>Then again, the worms—-</p><p>A shiver wrestles its way down Zelda’s spine. Twisting, she finds a way to lean even closer into the warmth of the fire. The sun had just set below the horizon, but already the air is crisp, and she’s grateful again for the warm bed that awaits her. Her face is caked with sweat and dust, but she finds she doesn’t regret declining Riju’s offer of hospitality. It would not have been extended to a random outsider, and so it should not be extended to her, a ruler without a state to govern, and a princess left without a throne.</p><p>And yet, when she feels a warmth fall around her, the bright blue cloth of Hyrule’s once-royal family glares back at her, reflected evenly from the cloak that has been draped around her to the irises of Link’s eyes. <em>Hylia, help me. </em>Was there no escape?</p><p>She sighs. The lack of an adversary has given her all too much time to think.</p><p>Gerudo Canyon Stable is still busy at this time of night, as travelers find their way off of the sand or emerge from behind the turn in the canyon ready to rest before their journey at dawn. When Link had left to tend to other matters Zelda had taken to chatting with other strangers across the cooking fire. Everyone has something interesting to say, and each shares their recipe. She tries bits of all of them. It is nice, for a moment, to be a stranger again.</p><p>When he returns to the fire Link crouches beside her, tossing an apple directly into the flames with practiced ease. It falls just how he wanted it, and he looks up at Zelda, meeting her gaze.</p><p>“Paya and I will begin collecting data tomorrow,” she says quietly, moving her hand to his shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze. “Some specimens, if we’re lucky. We will be staying with Riju tomorrow night, at least. Have you decided if you’ll be staying with us or travelling back to the Bazaar?”</p><p>Link offers a quick shrug and a smile as he spears his freshly baked apple. The scent of warm apples makes Zelda’s mouth start to water. If nothing else, she decides, she’s grateful that their duties led Link to a proficiency in cooking.</p><p>“I was thinking of visiting the Goddesses,” he says.</p><p>“To the east?” she says, shaking her head slightly. She takes a breath, puts on her most diplomatic expression, and asks, “can you ask them why in Hylia’s name there are new animals in the desert?”</p><p>Link’s eyes shine. “I can.”</p><p>Laughing, Zelda responds: “very well then, Sir Champion, I suppose I’ll see you in the morning either way. I am grateful that you finally trust me enough to venture out on my own.”</p><p>He rolls his eyes and offers a slice of baked apple as a response. It’s more than enough, Zelda muses as she chews. </p><p>Later, when the memories of Ganon come again unbidden, she pulls the scratchy stable-bed blankets closer around her and forces her eyes open. In the next bed over, Paya appears to sleep peacefully: her silver hair shines across the pillow and her body is spread across the entire bed, open, unguarded. Zelda flips herself over to look at the other bed, and sighs. It’s untouched. In the stillness of the desert night, she can still hear the fire.</p><p>-</p><p>“I would have thought they’d be slimier,” Paya remarks, holding a worm between her thumb and pointer fingers. She holds it far from her body first, then pulls it closer to examine it. “They’re nothing like the ones in Lurelin.”</p><p>She kneels on a thin cloth spread over the sand, held down by the various jars and tools Zelda had brought along for her research.</p><p>“Fascinating,” Zelda murmurs, watching a pair of worms squirmed in her palms. “I wonder what they eat.”</p><p>The worms are smooth, and the sand does not stick to them like dirt sticks to others. If she didn’t know better, Zelda might have even described them as scaly.</p><p>In their effort to return to the ground, the worms tangle into one another. They squirm together for a few moments, rolling up against Zelda’s fingertips, until the movement suddenly stops. Zelda gasps, prodding them gently, trying to get them to move. Paya glances up from where she’s crouching, dropping the worm she was holding back into the sand.</p><p>“Princess?”</p><p>Zelda’s too focused on the task at hand to bother correcting the girl. She shifts the worms and pokes them again. Her brows furrow. Nothing.</p><p>“Did they… did they just die?” Zelda asks, her voice soft with thought. She walks to Paya, falling unceremoniously onto her knees to show her. “They were moving before,” she says, as Paya pokes them herself. Nothing. As Paya picks them up to look at them herself, Zelda continues: “when they bit one another, they stopped.”</p><p>Paya places the worms back on the blanket, raking her hand through it in hopes of finding another live specimen. The sand falls easily through her fingers when she takes a handful. Zelda does the same, hissing quietly when she touches the hot sand. Her hand isn’t burned, thankfully, but she takes greater care as she picks the worms up again to place into her jar.</p><p>“We should head back to Gerudo Town,” Paya says, standing easily. She brushes a few stray grains of sand from her trousers—Gerudo style, but white, like the robes she would wear in Kakariko—and raises a hand to block the sun as she looks into the sky. “I can’t imagine how anything that can’t cook elixirs could survive the midday heat out here.”</p><p>And so it’s decided: they walk quickly towards the city’s walls, packs of supplies still strapped to their backs, passing the jar holding their motionless worms back and forth to get another look.</p><p>Zelda makes a mental list of all the things to tell the Chief, all of which go straight out the window as she and Paya stand in the throne room. They’re all friends here, they know, but Bularia’s glaring is making Paya fidget and Riju looks more annoyed by the second. Zelda’s heart is racing with adrenaline and pure scientific joy, but exactly none of it seems to be reciprocated by the Gerudo women.</p><p>“They’re small, and scaly—”</p><p>“Scaly? I thought worms didn’t have scales.”</p><p>“They don’t, but—”</p><p>“So they aren’t worms?”</p><p>“They’re d-definitely worms, my Lady--!”</p><p>“They’re thick, like a millipede, but move and behave like worms. Their skin seems to help them live in the sand.”</p><p>“My warriors would not have feared what you describe,” Riju says, brow furrowing.</p><p>“No, they would not,” Zelda replies evenly.</p><p>“So you agree there is no threat,” Riju continues.</p><p>Paya makes a squeak, and all eyes turn to her. “My lady, perhaps they grow?”</p><p>The hall falls silent. Zelda’s eyes widen, watching Riju process the idea. It’s sensible, if interpreted correctly, but she's nervous, and Paya herself has admitted that her communication style often leaves room for error. They are <em>so </em>close to getting kicked out of this desert.</p><p>“It is likely they grow, yes,” Riju says calmly. “What are you suggesting?”</p><p>“P-perhaps the worms we saw weren’t grown yet. We, uh, we didn’t find any larger ones this morning, but…” Paya trails off.</p><p>“Larva,” Zelda finishes, reaching to place a comforting finger against Paya’s wrist. “The worms are new, my Lady. These small creatures may not frighten your warriors, but we don’t yet know what they grow into. These could easily be the larvae of something much bigger.”</p><p>“How much bigger, exactly?”</p><p>Zelda pauses. “I don’t think there’s any way to know for sure.”</p><p>Riju leans back in her chair again, looking more relaxed. “Will you be able to watch them grow?”</p><p>Paya takes a deep, steadying breath, so Zelda stays quiet. She watches the girl reach into her bag and pull out the jar, pausing to look again at the worms gracelessly tangled inside. She offers it carefully to Bularia.</p><p>“That likely won’t be possible,” Zelda says, gesturing at the specimen. “When we tried to get a closer look at them, they curled around each other and died.”</p><p>“They killed each other?” Riju asks, peering into the jar, crossing her legs. She is cool, collected. Her eyes don’t sparkle like Urbosa’s used to.</p><p>Paya shuffles her feet nervously. “Well, we don’t know <em>exactly </em>what happened,” she says, glancing at Zelda.</p><p>Zelda clears her throat, unsure of exactly how to describe what she had seen. The writhing, the fighting to get back to the ground… was it really the worms themselves? But a scientist must act on what they know for sure, she supposes, and can amend their findings later.</p><p>“That’s correct, Riju,” she finally says, voice shaking. “They died together, in my hands. It could be the sand. It could be each other. We need more information. Your people thought they saw a monster. We need to know more.”</p><p>“And you expect me to believe this?” she asks, staring darkly into Zelda’s eyes.</p><p>There’s no good answer, not really. Hyrule already doesn’t trust her; she wouldn’t either, if her authority had been suddenly undermined by a figure trapped between life and legend for over a century. And they <em>didn’t </em>know what happened with the worms. If Zelda agrees and is wrong, and the result is destructive, it could be seen as treason down the line. If she says no, the future consequences are minimized, but she would be kicked out of the desert. There was no lab to study the worms in, and no way to transport them out of the desert safely, anyways. She and Paya were already on thin ice, investigating the worms without much science training whatsoever.</p><p>She hears Paya shift uncomfortably beside her again, stuttering as she tries to come up with some excuse. Her brow is sweating. Zelda sighs—clearly, she hadn’t needed to train for diplomatic relations like she had all those years ago—and locks eyes with Riju again.</p><p>“Yes,” Zelda says. “I do.”</p><p>-</p><p>Riju lets the three of them stay with her in the city. “Until we have enough information on the worms,” she tells them, but Zelda knows she’s excited for the company.</p><p>When Link returns, Riju treats them to a meal, and the air is light again. Link recounts his adventures in the desert, and Bularia tells them an ancient Gerudo legend that has blessedly little to do with darkness or Ganon. Zelda watches Link drink casually, confident in his belief that they had sealed the darkness for good, but a dull headache keeps her wondering if that’s really true.</p><p>Paya retires first, still stressed from their busy day. She smiles softly as she’s led to their room, and Zelda has half a mind to follow her, but Riju makes another joke and Bularia pokes her side again in friendly jest and she sits down to play Princess once more. By the time they truly finish their meal, she is restless. Her head hurts. She can’t stop thinking about the worms.</p><p>It’s fully dark when she decides to go out again. Her bare cheeks sting against the cool wind, and she thinks she may never need armor again if all coats feel as stiff as hers does now. The night is silent, and she knows the monsters disappeared when Ganon did, but when Riju forces the sword into her arms, Zelda straps it to her back without complaint. There’s comfort in its weight.</p><p>She borrows a sand seal, promising not to venture too far beyond the city’s walls, and sets out. The moon is rising quickly, casting a pale glow across the horizon. It doesn’t take long to reach the open desert, and Zelda stops, dismounting to look around at the landscape. Flat sand, dunes in the distance, and then—-</p><p>She blinks, rubs her eyes. <em>An illusion, </em>she tells herself, <em>a sign to return to the city. I must sleep.</em></p><p>Just as she begins to turn, however, it catches her eye again. She takes a sharp inhale—<em>Hylia, be merciful—</em>and all but sprints back towards the city lights, her seal following behind her.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” the guards shout as she runs through the gates, tripping on the smoother paving stones. From her position splayed on the ground, the Gerudo women look like giants. Not big enough, not strong enough; one of the women, who told Zelda she’d been on the scouting party that found the first worms, kneels beside her. The hand on Zelda’s shoulder is little comfort as she tries to regain and steady her breath. When she’s no longer gasping for air, the woman whispers,</p><p>“Did you see it?”</p><p>Zelda nods, looking up at the small and concerned crowd gathered around her.</p><p>“There’s something in the dunes.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Desertside</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An expedition is mounted. There are worms to catch.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Much love to everyone who has read this! This is, by far, the longest continuous work I've written since 2013 when I tried to do NaNoWriMo. It's very, very fun to be creative like this. As dramatic as my writing style is, this is just a silly idea that I love! Hopefully, you enjoy it too. &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Postponing the expedition until morning doesn’t help Zelda sleep one bit. Everything is </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>here. Cool air blows through the window, heat from the embers of their small fire warms their feet, and Zelda lays awake on her back staring at the ceiling as if it somehow has any answers to share. There are no crickets to lull her to sleep and the air is too thin, too dry--her lungs are free to take in any air they need, but it’s fresh and crisp and cool and unfamiliar….</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A noise from the other bed snaps her out of her thoughts. Zelda rolls over, pulling the coarse blanket closer around her shoulders, and gazes at the general outline of Paya she can see in the moonlight. It’s not new information that Paya squirms in bed; Impa had suggested that Zelda sleep in Paya’s room in those first few tortuously calm weeks after defeating Ganon. But it’s different in this guest room. The walls are too far apart, and the windows far too open. The space between their beds is larger. Zelda can’t tell, from this glance from this viewpoint, if her friend’s rumblings are due to a dream or a nightmare. She can’t remember when she’d started to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The exhaustion is inevitable. The dream is not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cold water crashes into her, or maybe she crashes into it. Zelda looks down; she’s wearing the prayer robe she’d been given all those years ago, and drenched white fabric clings to her legs as she pulls herself out of the basin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frozen air surges past her and she falls right back into the water. She’s at the Spring of Wisdom, she realizes, up on Mount Lanaryu, and the statue of the Goddess Hylia is </span>
  <em>
    <span>moving. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelda shivers, her teeth chattering. How did she get here?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Princess Zelda, </span>
  </em>
  <span>a voice intones gently in her mind, </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is where you were always meant to be. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mount Lanaryu?” she asks, teeth chattering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ground beneath her shakes, and Zelda falls once more into the water, somehow much deeper than where she had just been standing. Her head is pulled under before she can gasp for air, and in her panic she barely registers the water heating. When she fights back to the surface, she rubs at her eyes and looks up--Hylia is there again, ethereal and glowing in the rays of sunlight filtering through some crack in the roof. It’s balmy here, and the walls are green with a thick layer of moss. It’s the Spring of Courage, sure, but not how she’s ever seen it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hylia ruffles her wings and smiles down. Zelda’s heart clenches and she falls to her knees again, feeling the goddess’s love like a hand plunged in her chest. Her breath catches; she opens her mouth to speak. Hylia raises her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she blinks again she is kneeling in the Spring of Power, and the humidity of Faron has changed to the mist of Akkala’s waterfalls floating gently to her bare shoulders. The statue of Hylia is missing, somehow, and Zelda stands to walk to where it once stood. Her arm shakes as she reaches out to touch the pedestal.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You have long known this to be true, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the voice says again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as her hand makes contact Zelda finds herself slipping, off-balance, stumbling across sand. She falls face-first to the ground, groans, and rolls over to stare into the sky. A yellow cloud seethes overhead. She’s definitely in the Gerudo Desert, but she can’t help but think that it would have been easier for Hylia to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell </span>
  </em>
  <span>her whatever she needs to know. She sits up. Blinks. A glowing red eye blinks back. There’s a crackle of electricity. Zelda stills.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shock propels her up and backwards, essentially flipping her around, and she lands in a crumpled pile on her hands and knees several feet away. She looks up, knowing she has no hope of getting out of this if she doesn’t wake up soon. The electric lizalfos breathes, readies its spear, and leaps forwards. Cool metal scrapes Zelda’s chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bolts upright, breathless and coated in a thin layer of sweat. The blankets are still rough beneath her hands. The torches that light the city streets crackle quietly outside the open window. One bed over, Paya is sprawled out, one leg tangled in the bedclothes and one seemingly repulsed by them. Zelda takes a deep breath. They are, undeniably, safe within the city walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she settles back into sleep, however, she can’t help but wonder--</span>
  <em>
    <span>what about outside of them?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dawn arrives quietly, and in a gentle lamplight Paya helps Zelda fasten water skins and a few small bags of food to her person. They’ve fashioned a few straps from long pieces of the durable blanket fabric they’d knelt on the day before, and Paya, having worn and designed Sheikah robes with any number of fastenings and knots, had insisted she could attach whatever they needed to bring so they wouldn’t have to carry anything. Zelda immediately agreed. She could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each knot is carefully placed, and each strap is fitted intentionally to her chest so that it stays secure and allows her to move. The downside, of course, is that Zelda has had to dress for the heat of midafternoon in the chill hours of the morning. The Gerudo top she wears is deep pink, intricately patterned with white and gold thread, and covers only her upper chest and the place where her shoulders meet her neck. Her pants are longer, and darker in color, but the thin fabric and the way they leave space for the flow of cool air makes her shiver as Paya runs her hand gently down her back. With a hum, Paya moves around to face Zelda again, eyes focused on the last knot she holds in her hands. She’s thrown herself into her work, Zelda realizes while watching the girl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Paya’s abandoned the Gerudo top she’d purchased in favor of her own garments, but hasn’t bothered with any of the outer robes; Zelda envies the high collar and tight fit of her shirt when the strap on her sword immediately digs into the delicate skin on her shoulders and side. The turtleneck is a deep periwinkle, and the seams are fit perfectly to Paya’s body. The lack of sleeves, meant for comfort under Sheikah robes, will serve her well in the desert. Crisp darts pull the fabric securely under her bust. It’s a contrast to the loosely-draped Gerudo pants she wears, whose white and gold fabric almost reminds Zelda of Kakariko Village. She looks at home here, in the middle of the desert. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Paya steps away to admire her handiwork she gives a small smile, and Zelda moves her shoulders from side to side, swaying both to test how the satchels will affect her movement and to show Paya what a good job she’d done. It feels like pure joy flowing through her veins. Paya moves her head side to side, in time with her, watching her closely. It’s a simple feeling, but when Zelda looks her in the eyes she knows she feels it too. Nothing matters, she decides, except that which happens in this very room, at this very moment, today. They dance like this, feeling the nonexistent music in the sounds of desert winds and the anticipation of their journey, and Zelda swears that there is something beyond analysis in Paya’s eyes as she smiles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Paya tilts her head slightly, keeping it there, watching, and steps towards Zelda; the joy in this liminal space grows heavy, and humid with something she can’t name, and Zelda’s breath catches as Paya carefully reaches out to her, holding her shoulder, pausing the dance, and the music in the desert winds and the anticipation of their journey grows quiet, and Zelda whispers to Hylia in her mind, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what is happening, what am I doing, is this the way that destiny is asking me to go? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Paya moves her hands to Zelda’s waist and tightens the strap holding her water skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The knot was loosening when you turned,” she murmurs, “this should be much more secure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelda forces herself to exhale slowly, but the exercise proves pointless when her inhale is shaky, anyways. She forces a smile--she can’t remember when she’d stopped--and says, “Thank you, Paya. Let me help you with yours.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she does. And she looks resolutely at the knot and the strap as she works, because she’s afraid of what she’ll discover if she looks into Paya’s eyes and sees that gentle smile. She hasn’t had a friend like Paya before. Maybe this is why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything is perfectly normal. Zelda crouches down in front of the embers for one more moment before she pours the cup of water over them. She looks over at Paya, who is in turn looking out their window at the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. There’s a knock at their door. It’s time to leave. Zelda takes a deep breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Guide me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she pleads to anything that will hear her as they walk out of the city. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t understand what you mean. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Link falls into step next to Zelda and smiles so naturally it looks like he was born with it. She wonders if he’s ever felt this confused before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be alright, Princess,” he says, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The gesture is so familiar and yet so wrong. They must have stood this way dozens of times before the Calamity. Nothing has changed, she reckons, except for her. Link looks at her, concerned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Sir Champion,” Zelda teases, elbowing him gently in the side. He moves his hand off her shoulder to allow the action. She sighs, and returns his smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the Gerudo women, walking a few paces ahead of them, turns to glare at them. Paya gulps, eyes widening. Zelda gets the hint. They’re silent after that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The expedition party is small--three Gerudo warriors, two of whom had been on the team that first reported the so-called worm; Zelda; Link; and Paya--and they stay that way, walking close together instead of spreading out. It’s slightly irrational, Zelda thinks, to all be looking at the same view of the desert instead of fanning out to get a wider view, but she’s already quietly admitted that she prefers it this way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They must look odd, walking together like this. Zelda and Paya are wearing their makeshift harnesses full of supplies, and Zelda’s bare arms are hard with goosebumps in the brisk early-morning breeze. Link carries only his weapons and the Sheikah Slate slung low around his waist, and is bundled up in some jacket Zelda’s sure she’s seen in Rito Village. He’ll change later, she knows, and he’s got plenty of tools and nourishment tucked away into whatever dimension of space the Sheikah discovered all those centuries ago. She’s still angry that she could never use the Slate herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Gerudo women are dressed more closely to Zelda and Paya, though their bodies have adapted to be much less temperature-sensitive, and they look almost comfortable in the cold. Katta leads the way, striding confidently into the desert. Reeza and Plokka, pulled from their duties as city guards, walk side-by-side just behind her. All are wearing their armor, and all walk with a visible confidence Zelda thinks she could replicate, if she needed to. Their shoulders soften, though, when they walk out into the rays of sunlight starting to flood the valley. It will be hot soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Katta says, raising her right arm. The group stops, coming to form more of a line around her. Katta points deeper into the desert, where there is a shallow valley and a shorter dune. “The sand is moving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It isn’t, though, as far as Zelda can tell. The sun is rising quicker now, and when the sun covers the entire desert the sand looks undisturbed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this what you saw last night?” Paya whispers, leaning close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Zelda replies. “Last night, it really was moving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Link sighs, pats Zelda’s shoulder, and walks confidently to the crest of the dune. The women watch and wait, and Zelda finds she’s almost amused by Link’s predictable antics.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Link pulls the Sheikah Slate off his hip, presses a few buttons, conjures a round bomb, secures the Slate again, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurls </span>
  </em>
  <span>the bomb off the edge of the dune. It lands heavily but continues to roll, inching closer to the dune Katta swore had moved. When it stops moving, Link detonates it. Zelda thrums her fingers on her thigh anxiously. Nothing happens. The sand is just sand. Katta stands and turns back towards Gerudo Town, sighing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vibrations, large and originating deep within the ground, shake the sand beneath their feet. Zelda watches Plokka move to catch her balance but they all fall to their hands and knees, sliding back down the face of the dune. Zelda’s face falls into the sand as she tries to grab the sand and stop moving. It stings, carving tiny, hot tears into every inch of her face. When she manages to regain her footing Zelda wipes her arm across her face, getting the last of the sand out of her eyes, and scrambles to the crest of the dune.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a ripple moving. It’s not quite big enough to be mistaken for a dune, but if it were bigger it </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>be--the disruption is fairly contained, and roughly domed. It zips across the plain, just below the surface of the sand, at terrifying speeds. There isn’t enough time for the sand to move off whatever is beneath it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plokka makes it back to the top of the dune next, and stands next to Zelda, staring at it. The others are only a moment behind. When Katta moves to stand, she misses her foothold and stumbles, recovering with a few heavy steps in the sand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Katta stumbles, the movement stops. Zelda glances at Link--he’s had the most experience with encountering the unknown as of late--his mouth falls slightly open as they watch the sand flow back to the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Link says, eerily calm, “So that’s the worm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelda isn’t sure if she would call this… creature... a worm, really. It stretches out of the sand, ten feet wide and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so tall, and she can see the same types of scales outlining the ridges in its skin that she’d noticed on the smaller creatures with Paya. But it’s the best descriptor they’ve got at the moment and so she takes a deep breath and replies, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. That’s the worm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s so small,” Paya says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have no idea how old it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Katta responds. “The first time we thought the sand was shifting was over two months ago. We started questioning it two months ago. The worm appeared last week, to Reeza and Plokka, among others. You arrived in the Desert two nights ago, and found small worms. There is no good indication for how old this one is.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Or how big,” Link says, pointing into the distance. The worm jumps out of the sand again, leaping several feet into the air. It writhes a bit, as if it was trying to turn in midair, and the entire length of its body hits the sand at once with a loud </span><em><span>thunk. </span></em><span>Energy flows out, moving the sand like a wave radiating out from the worm in a circle. It digs back into the ground at its center. The wave approaches, less powerful at this distance, but still manages to shake the ground beneath them.</span> <span>Reeza flinches, drawing her spear on instinct. Beside her, Paya loses her footing and falls back to her knees. The rest of the group soon follows.</span></p><p>
  <span>It swallows Link’s Sheikah bomb in its gulp of air. Link, without fear or hesitation, detonates it. The worm shudders, then seems to fall back into the sand. It rests a moment--nobody breathes--and then retreats into the desert ground. Everything shakes. And then, almost as quickly as it arrived, it leaves, moving quickly towards the crevasse that carves through their world. Whatever happened is over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plokka turns quickly on her heel and announces that it’s time to return to Gerudo Town; they’ve seen more than enough for today and that no enemy would dare attack the Gerudo warriors. They start walking, and Paya gently tugs Zelda’s hand to encourage her to move along with the group, but her mind is still on that movement. It was so natural, so sure. She had never felt that kind of peace--or, at a minimum, acceptance--in her entire century of containing Ganon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelda taps Paya’s wrist. Paya lets go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s all wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riju fumes when they tell her what they’ve seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She asks and asks. There are the “what do you mean?”s and the “how can you be so certain?”s; the “do you need medical attention?”s and the “it cannot be that large, do you need me to discharge you from duty?”s. None of them come close to the question Zelda knows Riju is actually trying to answer: </span>
  <em>
    <span>what in the name of Hylia am I supposed to do about this?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The fact of the matter is that Zelda is no longer dreaming and Riju’s people are in a new kind of trouble they don’t understand. For once in her life Zelda doesn’t know how to even pretend to have the answers Riju needs. And in this, the answer is clear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a suggestion, my Lady,” Zelda says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hear it,” Riju replies, crossing her legs with a huff. Zelda takes a deep breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If none of us have the answers, we need to find someone who does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where?” Riju asks, and Zelda pauses, thinking. The worms were new to everyone, not just the Gerudo. There was the problem of ecosystem changes, the geography shifts--she hadn’t had time to travel extensively yet, and the changes in Hyrule from the kingdom she knew could be immense. Eyelids closed, she conjures up the memory of a map--Akkala in the north, Gerudo in the southwest--and thinks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes too long, evidently, and when Paya interrupts with a loud “Lurelin,” Zelda is relieved. Riju’s face softens into something closer to contemplation than calculation, so Zelda continues,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lurelin, of course. The landscape is ecologically different from the Gerudo Desert, but they have plenty of sand and plenty of worms to learn from. Certainly there is a researcher who can point us in the right direction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Link nods. “Lurelin and Gerudo are at similar altitudes. The comparison may be even more fitting than we imagine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riju stands, and waves over another guard, who carries and unfurls a map of Hyrule. “It will be advantageous to collect more information than a single trip to one town,” she says. “Let us plan a route that allows you to survey more of Southern Hyrule. You will take notes and samples of any relevant findings and report back to Gerudo Town in two weeks’ time.” She looks up, then, catching Zelda’s eye. “Unless there are any objections.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Paya is fidgeting. Her hands are tucked neatly behind her back out of Riju’s line of sight but Zelda can practically feel her indecision. It’s the longest the girl has been away from Kakariko Village, she knows, and the furthest she’s ever been from the security she knew living amidst the Sheikah. But they need to go, and they need Paya’s help. She studies the map for a moment, and nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Zelda says, “we’ll do it.” She glances over her shoulder. Paya’s eyes have widened in surprise, so she steps closer to the map and points at the little marker denoting Gerudo Town. “Here is our route. We will depart Gerudo Town tomorrow, and make our way back through the Gerudo Canyon. We will make our way through the Great Plateau and cross Lake Hylia, investigating the fauna in the Faron region as we move towards the sea.” She traces the path carefully as she speaks, tracking Riju’s reactions. So far, so good. She traces the map and stops at the marker for Lurelin Village. “At Lurelin, we will spend time talking to local researchers and historians and survey the beaches, as agreed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riju nods. “And you’ll return by the same route?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Zelda replies, tapping Mount Dunsel. “We will go through Necluda, and visit Purah at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. The Sheikah may have valuable insight into this situation, and we cannot afford to risk losing it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a house there,” Link offers, leaning over Zelda’s shoulder and pointing to Hateno Village. “I have often made the journey between Hateno and Kakariko. We should return there and talk to the farmers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s as if he read her mind. Zelda smiles, fully turning to Paya. The girl is calmer now, nodding along to the plan. She breathes a quiet sigh of relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From Kakariko, we can return to Gerudo Town by way of Hyrule Field,” Zelda says, indicating her planned route. “It will be easy to return within the two weeks specified.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Four cities,” Riju considers, leaning over the map once more. She nods once. “It is decided. Tonight, you will sleep here, in the quarters we have prepared for you. Tomorrow morning, you will begin your journey. Do you wish for any of our warriors to accompany you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Link quickly shakes his head in the negative. “With all due respect, we have enough training and experience between us to complete the mission. Besides, without Ganon’s monsters, the dangers are minimal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Riju responds with a smile. Her face quickly darkens. “Be careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always,” Zelda says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ride sand-seals from the city walls to the Bazaar and walk quickly to the canyon, hoping to be in the canyon before the heat of midday. At some point, Link takes Zelda’s arm, and points out various places he’d visited on his quest for the girls to see. Paya is laughing, and Zelda nearly skips; it had been so long since she had a project, let alone friends to complete it with. So she lets him continue on and on, saying:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I walked through those highlands to trade for a pair of sand boots,” and “this is where I ate my first voltfruit,” and “that crater used to be a lizalfos hideout, and I almost died trying to raid it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Paya stops, then, and examines it, walking off the path and into the loose sand to get a closer look. “DId the monsters leave bodies behind when Ganon was defeated?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were reabsorbed as malice,” Link responds, releasing Zelda’s arm. “Why do you ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of responding, Paya points.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lizalfos’s camouflage drains quickly, revealing the red-brown color of its skin. It tenses, as if preparing to jump; Link quickly draws his bow, training an arrow on the beast’s sensitive horn. Just as quickly as it had awoken, however, the creature calms, sinking slowly back into the sand. Zelda looks around cautiously. Link shoots the lizalfos, defeating it quickly. Paya’s hands, still clenched around Zelda’s bicep, squeeze harder as the girl ducks behind Zelda’s back. There aren’t any other monsters in the area. Red-black specks of malice float a few inches above the body, then collapse down onto it as the once-lizard turns into a molten goop of darkness that sinks into the sand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought there weren’t any monsters after Ganon was defeated,” Paya whispers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There weren’t,” Link hisses, bow steady, still glaring at the spot the lizalfos used to be. “I checked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Zelda says, voice shaking, “it appears we are in a bit more danger than we accounted for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
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